Carlos Sainz points to outqualifying Max Verstappen in his rookie season as proof of how he'd perform alongside the Dutch driver

Carlos Sainz has pointed to how he fared against Max Verstappen in his rookie season as proof that the Spaniard can hang with the Dutch driver in the same team. Sainz and Verstappen debuted in F1 in 2015 at Toro Rosso.

Both of them were very young at the time and impressed at a very early stage of their careers. While Max Verstappen was the standout within the team and would soon be promoted to Red Bull in 2016, Carlos Sainz held his own as well, while the Dutch driver outscored him, the Spaniard out-qualified his teammate.

Max Verstappen, since then, has gone on to build an impressive career, and since 2019, he has become a dominant teammate, where the drivers in the same cars have struggled to keep up. This was the case with Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson, and now Yuki Tsunoda. All of them have found it challenging to keep up with the Dutch driver.

Carlos Sainz was in contention to race for Red Bull in 2025 after he was on the free market last season. For one reason or the other, the partnership didn't happen. Talking about racing with Max Verstappen as a teammate on the High Performance Podcast, Sainz pointed to their rookie season together, as he said,

“I think everyone's having a really tough time being Max's team-mate. I can only say that when I was Max's team-mate, I didn't have this tough time. I was obviously incredibly surprised with how quick he was, with how he's an insane driver. I mean, he's going to go out to be one of the best ever in history, if he's not already one. But that first year together, since then, has given me the confidence to know I can be up against anyone.”

Carlos also pointed at some of the teammates he's had in his career that have been some of the best on the grid and how he's proven himself against all of them. He said,

“I've been team-mates with Charles [Leclerc], with Lando [Norris], with Nico Hulkenberg, very quick guys, and probably the best in the sport. Now Alex [Albon] is incredibly fast also, and it just makes me want to be up against the best still. I know I can take it, and I know I've been successful in the past.”

Carlos Sainz dismisses talks of conflict with Max Verstappen

There were reports in the media that one of the reasons why Carlos Sainz was not picked up by Red Bull was that the relationship between his camp and Max Verstappen's family was contentious when the two drivers were teammates. Sainz dismissed any such suggestion as he revealed that his relationship with the Dutch driver has been pretty good. He said,

“The only thing I can say is I genuinely get on well with Max. This is what people don't see from the outside. Like, we had a rivalry on our first year in Formula 1 in Toro Rosso, but it was a relatively healthy rivalry in terms of him and me, the way we used to go about racing. And now we get on really well."

He added,

“So, if that's the reason I don't understand why they wouldn't want me next to Max, because I think we would actually be a very strong pairing in Formula 1.”

Max Verstappen's future, too is an uncertainty at the moment, as the Dutch driver is yet to confirm where he will be in 2026. Carlos Sainz, on the other hand, is looking at building a team around him at Williams, where he is on a multiyear contract.

Edited by Charanjot Singh Kohli